Staying Alive…In the Driver’s Seat

“One in five teen drivers has a fender bender (or worse) during their first year of driving. Teens who take a formal driver education course have a 21% lower crash rate than those who don’t. Traffic crashes are the single leading cause of death for 15-20 year-olds.” ^[1] These statements are not scare tactics utilized to strike fear in the hearts of young drivers, but rather hard statistics representing real young people who were involved, injured, or killed in auto accidents. So, what is the importance of driver education in reducing the number of deaths as a result of driving? Quality driver education helps young drivers to develop safer driving habits, better traffic skills, and greater awareness of dangers on the roadway. Every parent naturally wants to keep their child safe, but there’s even more return on the investment in driver education. “Teens who complete an approved driver education course save about 15% annually on their car insurance.” ^[2] In reality, this is more likely to save parents money since they are probably paying for their teen’s car insurance in most cases. Driver education also provides an important opportunity to teach young drivers about a critical area that I think deserves greater attention: the dangers of distracted driving. All drivers, especially new teens behind the wheel, can benefit from quality education and raised awareness of this problem.

“Crash risk is particularly high during the first months of licensure.  Data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey indicate that the crash rate per mile driven is 1.5 times higher for 16-year-olds than it is for 18-19 year-olds.” ^[3] As an 18-year-old driver myself, I realize the vital importance of maturity and experience when it comes to being a safer driver. My sister is now a 16-year-old licensed driver, so her safety is always on my mind. Sadly, our home state of Louisiana is far behind in preparing and protecting young drivers. So, what steps can be taken to reduce the risks of teens behind the wheel and how can I contribute? Driver education would be a key component of potential improvements in this area. Beginning with a vigorous social media campaign effort, I would support state legislation that brings Louisiana in line with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommendations regarding graduated driver licensing (GDL) and therefore create safer conditions for everyone on the road. There are three primary areas where Louisiana needs to enact stronger age restrictions. First is minimum age of eligibility for the learner stage, when permits are issued allowing young people to drive only if accompanied by a licensed adult at least 21 years old. Currently Louisiana issues these permits to 15-year-olds upon completion of basic driver education. ^[4] The NHTSA recommended age is 16 years old based on strong data supporting this higher age requirement. ^[5] Second is the intermediate or provisional license stage. Louisiana allows 16-year-olds to have these without additional driver education and with more permissible nighttime driving hours. ^[6] NHTSA recommendations are a minimum age of 16.5 years old upon completion of additional driver’s education training with more restrictive nighttime driving hours. ^[7] Again, these more stringent standards are supported by a vast database of statistics. The third area of concern regards full licensure. While under current Louisiana law this status is granted to 17-year-olds ^[8], the NHTSA recommended minimum age for full removal of restrictions is 18 years old. ^[9] This age requirement aligns exactly with data from the CDC. The NHTSA recommendations outlined above, along with even more detailed requirements of each stage, are available by searching NHTSA.gov. I love my home state of Louisiana. Unfortunately, we are too often known for being last in the nation in quality-of-life categories and statistics. Protecting people on the road, especially young drivers, is not an area where we should tolerate low standards or inadequate laws. “Research suggests that more comprehensive GDL systems are associated with 26% to 41% reductions in fatal crashes and 16% to 22% reductions in overall crashes among 16-year-old drivers.” ^[10] By building a strong base of support through a vigorous social media effort, we can demand legislation that brings Louisiana in line with NHTSA recommendations regarding GDL systems and therefore create safer conditions for all drivers. A key component of this legislation would be not just basic driver education, but also additional driver education at each stage of advanced licensure.

Most people, if not all, agree that distracted driving is reckless. It is not only extremely dangerous for the driver, but also puts everyone else on the road at risk. Statistics support this assertion. “Using a cell phone while driving creates enormous potential for deaths and injuries on U.S. roads.  In 2019, 3,142 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.” ^[11] According to some research, texting while driving is like drinking four beers then getting behind the wheel. No clear-thinking person would allow someone who they care about to do that. So why is distracted driving still so common in our society, especially among young adults? I propose five elements comprising most of the problem among my generation: an attitude of rebelliousness, a mindset of impatience, an addiction to social media, a culture of negative peer pressure, and a sense of invincibility. Quality driver education can be key in addressing this problem. In each modern generation, young people have been among the most rebellious. Once we are out of childhood, a natural instinct develops to push back against authority. This often comes with our first taste of independence. The freedom of getting a driver’s license is a major milestone. We are warned about distracted driving, but generally disregard it as the advice of overprotective parents. If alone in the car with no one supervising us, we rebel and try to “get good at looking at our phones while driving”. But this is exactly the wrong kind of experience. Instead, we should realize that adults warn us of the dangers of distracted driving because of their own experiences and knowledge. They are not primarily trying to control us, but rather protect us along with everyone we encounter on the road. Rebelling in these circumstances can have fatal results. Young people have also developed a mindset of impatience. This is in large part due to so many ways that we experience instant gratification. With our phones constantly at our sides, we have unlimited access to the internet and a world of apps. Playing music can be especially distracting when it comes to driving. We want the right song in every situation and certain apps put practically the entire universe of music just a few clicks away. However, tragedy can strike in those few seconds when we take our eyes off the road to search for that song. No mood or music is more important than our safety and that of other drivers. Young people must realize that patience is vital and to improve it must be practiced, just like a sport or musical instrument. Having a cell phone in the car provides a sense of security in the case of an emergency, but it also puts text messaging and social media at our fingertips while driving. Via text, we are continually in contact with our friends. Social media is especially addictive to my generation. It consumes so much time of our daily lives and often provides a sense of belonging. Some teens can’t seem to sacrifice this even for a short drive. They are so consumed by posting so that other people can see them or, alternatively, looking into other people’s lives and what they are posting. All of this takes attention off the road and away from driving, so a quick check of social media can instantly turn disastrous. Negative peer pressure is very common, especially around the issue of distracted driving. Even though most of my peers logically understand that it is dangerous, we are often more concerned about what others think than about making smart choices. This is true even when those choices might save their own lives or the lives of others on the road. Most of the problems that I have already described are commonly reinforced by validation from our peers. It might seem ‘cool’ to be rebellious, we potentially face ridicule if not willing to get the music just right, or perhaps we’ll miss something ‘important’ if we don’t monitor social media while driving. All of my friends are doing those things, so why should I be the only one not doing them? However, the truth is that one person making one poor choice can have catastrophic effects on the lives of many. A final element of the problem facing young people is our sense of invincibility. Some even believe that they are virtually immortal. When peers hear about a distracted driving tragedy, it is very often dismissed or disregarded. “That will never happen to me.” “That person was just unlucky.” This is a challenge because it shows the selfishness of my generation. Some only think about their own lives, disregarding the lives of everyone else on the road. What steps can be taken to reduce the prevalence of distracted driving and how can I contribute? Through quality driver education, our generation can be more effectively taught about the potentially deadly dangers of distracted driving. Personally, I must set an example by making courageous choices and influencing others with positive peer pressure. And as we can be negatively judged on social media, we can flip those same platforms to be encouraging and empowering. Ours must be the generation to at least begin breaking this dangerous cycle and show that it is not ‘cool’ to put ourselves or others in danger. Through driver education and personal examples, we can open each other’s eyes to the significant and potentially fatal risks of distracted driving. While we are neither invincible nor immortal, we do have the amazing power to reduce the number of tragedies in our lifetimes.

References

^{[1] [2]} Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles

https://www.expresslane.org/drivers/driver-s-education-guides/minor-driver-education/

^{[3] [10]} Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/teen_drivers/teendrivers_factsheet.html

^{[4] [6] [8]} Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)

https://www.iihs.org/topics/teenagers/graduated-licensing-laws-table?topicName=teenagers

^{[5] [7] [9]} National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/teen-driving#topic-teen-driver-requirements

^[11] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

https://www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving